Pearls are perhaps the most unique among the world's precious gems. Many of the gems that we have in the market today notably in the jewelry industry are taken from the earth's surface whereas the pearl is produced under the sea. It's uniqueness also comes from the fact that it is the only gem formed in a living organism.

In the past centuries, the pearl was actually known as the queen of all gems as well as the gem of queens, all because of its extraordinary beauty. It has a natural glow in itself as it does not need any polishing compared to gold or diamond.

Owning a piece of pearl jewelry, therefore, gives a woman so much pride and beauty. A great addition to her collection would be a pearl pendant. Whether plain or set in gold and surrounded with diamonds or other precious stones, a pearl pendant is truly an eye catcher.

Of course, it can also be a very special gift to a woman on an important occasion or perhaps, even more special when given without any occasion to celebrate. Pearls do symbolize different meanings at the various occasions in life. It depicts love and marriage in wedding anniversaries, love and romance on Valentine's day and maternal love on Mother's day. For birthdays, pearl is the birthstone for the month of June while during a wedding, a white pearl means love, purity and virtue. In fact, it is a widely held belief that a bride wearing pearls on her wedding day would gain happiness and prosperity in her marriage.

Today, pearls come in different shapes and sizes. The spherical type refers to the popular round pearl which is actually more expensive. Pearls with unique, irregular shapes are called baroque and are the cheapest of all types. Pearls that appear in pear shape and those with symmetry are referred to as symmetrical.

Apart from their shapes, pearls also carry different names depending on the country of their origin. The black pearls come from the South Sea and are produced from black oysters. The most common are the Akoya pearls which are cultured in Japan and are smaller in size about two to 10 millimeter. Also produced in Japan are the white, oval-shaped freshwater pearls cultured in Lake Biwa as well as the rosy pink Kasumiga pearls from the lakes of Tokyo. The South Sea pearls are the biggest, most expensive and very rare. They are silvery grey in color.

The pearl's beauty lies in its color, shape, smooth surface, luster and nacre thickness. The most important factor is the nacre thickness which refers to the thickness of the pearl layers and is the basis in determining a pearl's quality. Its thickness is also based on how long it was cultured.

And so, whatever kind of pearl pendant you have, make sure that you take care of it well to keep its natural beauty. Remember that a pearl jewelry not only symbolizes purity as it also means longevity. In other words, it does not end with time.